# Woori Bank-Samsung Life's key player in Game 3

"I won because of JIHYUN. I lost because of JIHYUN"

Lim Geun-bae, head coach of Yongin Samsung Life Insurance, left this after two consecutive away games in Asan, the semifinals of Woori Bank's WON 2023-2024 Women's Professional Basketball League.

Samsung Life Insurance, the "underdog" that finished third in the regular league, beat Asan Woori Bank, the second-ranked team in the first round. Park Ji-hyun, the mainstay of Woori, gave the green light to the team. Park only scored six points and eight rebounds. She only threw five field throws.

Neither Woori Bank coach Wi Sung-woo nor the player himself expected Park Ji-hyun's silence.

"I was also very embarrassed. I think I had too much pressure even though I had no experience (in big games). I gained experience thanks to the older sisters, but thinking about it more made me feel more burdened. So I put a lot of energy into my body and couldn't get out of it. The older sisters said they weren't to blame, but obviously the game was because of me. It was so painful," she said.

Stars often fall into slumps, too. However, their slumps are not long. Park displayed a remarkable turnaround. In the second round of her home game in Asan on Saturday, she scored the most points (27) in the postseason, the most assists (12) and the first triple-double (11 rebounds) in the postseason, spearheading Woori Bank's 70-57 counterattack.

Coach Wi Sung-woo sensed Park's revival as soon as the second round started. "You can tell just by looking at his movements," Wi said with a smile. "I think this was the best performance in the entire regular league. While playing offense, he spared what he would have saved (the opportunity) for his teammates. I was worried about what I would do if I showed poor performance again today, but I realized it myself."

Park said, "I had a hard time after the first round because I felt like I couldn't trust myself," adding, "I was grateful for what people around me and my sisters who trusted me more than me said. (After the first round) I didn't even look at my cell phone and thought about basketball." "We are a team that always works hard. We wanted to believe in what we trained and move on. I trusted people who believed in me because I didn't believe in myself."

With Park Ji-hyun's awakening, the semifinal playoff series, which is a best-of-five series, has taken a new turn. Samsung Life Insurance brought home advantage by winning one win in two consecutive away games, but Woori Bank regained hope.

The team that wins two of the remaining three games will go to the championship game. Since the third and fourth games will be held in Yongin, the home team Samsung Life Insurance will have to make all-out efforts to win two consecutive games in Yongin starting on the 14th. To do so, it is important how to deal with Park Ji-hyun.

Park Ji-hyun is a player who plays various roles on the court. She is the main ball handler of the team and is a key scorer along with Kim Dan-bi. She participates in rebounding a lot and can play multiple positions in defense. How to block Park Ji-hyun is a task given to Samsung Life Insurance.

Ahead of the second round, Lim said, "Park Ji-hyun will play more aggressively than in the first round, and she will persistently attack under the basket. Although the team's prediction was accurate, the team's prepared defense did not perform properly. Lim called on the players to play tough defense, but it was not easy.

Asked why he failed to block Park in the second game, Lim said, "I defended my defense. That's why I couldn't defend myself. Even if I got a foul, I had to hit hard when I came under the basket. As I just defended my defense, (Park) Ji-hyun threw a shot comfortably. I will pay more attention to that part." [토토](https://www.toto365.pro)